Belgian Proverbs

Belgian proverbs are an important element of the country’s culture and provide a window into the traditional values and folk beliefs of its people. These maxims, often passed down through generations, offer insight into the collective wisdom of Belgian society as well as providing a framework for understanding their moral and ethical codes. The proverbs act as a reminder of their shared cultural history, with many conveying timeless messages that still resonate today.

Here are some Belgian Proverbs:

Truth seldom finds a home.

Don’t use another person’s mouth unless it has been lent to you.

Who sieves too much keeps the rubbish.

Those who counsel do not pay.

What you say when you’re drunk should have been thought about beforehand.

One spot stains the whole dress.

Who being respected, is destitute.

Children have a hair of their father.

Life is a muddle, friendship is what sorts it out.

To die in the season of plague brings no honor.

In the end a needle weighs heavy.

Experience keeps a dear school.

The bee, from her industry in the summer, eats honey all the winter.

The horse must graze where it is tethered.

Proverbs are the library of history.

He who arrives too late finds the plate turned over.

Weeds never perish.

Happy nations have no history.

The money lender is brother to the tax collector.

We have quite enough to do weeding our own garden.

Love is born of faith, lives on hope and dies of charity.

Experience is the father of wisdom.

Tolerance when mocked is often transformed into anger.

Don’t make waves.

God heals, but the doctor gets paid.

Only the undertaker chortles in the time of plague.

Where there is accidental death, there is the devil’s own henchman at work.

If you don’t use your head, you’ll use your pocketbook.

A philosopher enlightens the pathway .

He who does not wish for little things does not deserve big things.

The beggar may sing before the thief.